Al and the X-Men
by HawaiianLei13
Summary: Alexandria Davies has been a runaway mutant since she was eight. Now that she has been deemed dead, she pays a visit to Xavier's Home for Gifted Children, hoping to prove her theory that the X-Men live there. Al is perfectly happy to leave and never be a part of another family, but the universe has other plans. Jean G./Scott S.
1. Al and Jean

**Chapter One: Al and Jean**

 _Al's POV_

Why am I even here, shivering in the cold rain, homeless and hungry? I guess it started seven years ago, when I left home. I was was eight, and I couldn't handle my angry alcoholic father anymore, so I packed my bags and left, like my brother and my mother before him. About a month later, the lost posters stopped showing up, no longer saying:

 **Missing Kid**

 **Alexandria Davies**

 **Eight years old, dark hair and green eyes.**

 **WARNING: she might try to pull some mutie mind tricks.**

Two things pissed me off about those posters. Firstly, it's a terrible idea to out someone as a mutant, especially an eight-year-old, wandering the streets. I'm an empath, hence the 'mutie mind tricks'. Second, I hate being called Alexandria. It's Al! I know, a boy's name, but I like it.

Fast forward seven years, and here I am now, on the doorstep of Xavier's Home For Gifted Children. I know what you're thinking- she must be joining the school, to be part of the family! Hell no. Don't get me wrong, it seems pretty nice, just me plus any sort of family equals disaster.

I'm only here because I just want to see if my suspicions are true. I was always wondering where the X-Men were when they weren't popping out of nowhere to fight Sentinels. After a while, I started noticing that a black jet kept flying back and forth to Xavier's, the secluded school on the coast. Combined with their name ( **X** avier - **X** -Men) and the fact that the mansion was the only place that could house all of them, I was pretty certain of their whereabouts. You might be saying, "Al, wouldn't anyone be able to notice the jet or similarities?". No, I'm just a keen observer. I can finally prove my theory because starting today, I am free.

Two days ago, I became legally dead. When a missing person has been missing for seven years, they are deemed dead. Seven years in hiding had paid off. That might not be a good thing in your book, but it's great for me. No more Social Security workers on my back anymore, and no one cares about a 'mutie' because she technically doesn't even exist anymore.

There is no glamour about being on the run. Shortly, after I left, I had to pick pockets and take wallets from the cupholders of cars. When I was thirteen, I thought it would be a good idea to try my hand at stealing from houses, not just cars. Well, I was terribly wrong. The tenant of the apartment almost woke up, and I had to use my powers to make him incredibly tired. Then I grabbed his safe-box and ran like hell.

I question myself, but my need to know overthrows my common sense. I take a deep breath and ring the bell.

Whelp. I guess you could say that curiosity killed the cat.

A dark-skinned woman opens the door. Her long white hair confounds me, she isn't _that_ old. Accompanying her is a bald semi-old man in a fancy wheelchair.

"Hello, what brings you to Xavier's School for Gifted Children?" the woman says. She has a foreign accent that I can't quite place. Her eyes drift from the scar on my cheek to my badly clipped, grimy hair, to stop at my soaking clothing: an oversized hoodie and some jeans that are so ripped that they're shorts.

I can't help it. I step inside and shut the door behind me, blocking out the rain.

"Are you the X-Men?" I blurt. The question hangs in the air, unanswered. I'll take that as a yes.

A "Wha…" escapes the woman.

"Sorry, who are you?" Baldie asks. His voice is surprisingly clear. He is obviously smarter than he looks.

I know I should probably lie, but the guy can probably read my mind or some crap. Besides, how do you lie to an X-Man?

"Al" I pause, "Al Davies.".

Baldie types something in his wheelchair with one hand (It can do that?) and raises an eyebrow at the stunned woman like they are communicating telepathically. A computerized voice breaks the silence:

 _Alexandria Davies. Age 15._

 _Missing mutant as of seven years ago._

 _Deemed dead as of two days ago._

Shit. How did they even figure it out that fast? Baldie notices my grab for the door, then everything goes black.

 ****

 _Jean's POV_

At around 10:13, Professor Xavier tells me to go check on Al, the new mutant. It seems that she made quite an entrance last night. Ororo was downright stunned that some kid could figure out the X-Men's location.

I open the door of the room to find Al, dressed in the new clothes I set out for her. She has a dark pixie-cut (If you can even call _that_ a pixie-cut) and vibrant green eyes. The most noticeable of her traits is a cut, slicing across her left cheek. Her face is grimy, and her eyes are suspiciously taking me in.

"Hi. I'm Jean. You must be Al. Professor Xavier wants to talk with you." I say. Al gives me a patented murder glare. I beckon for her to follow me, and she does.

I lead Al through the maze of dorms and down the stairs. On the way, I see many students, some with visible mutations, some without. Occasionally I'll catch one whispering, "Is that the new mutant?"

"It'll be nice to have another girl on the team," I comment as we walk. The silence is killing me, so I try to get Al to talk. She just glares at every living thing in sight.

Soon enough we reach the professor's office. Professor Xavier sits behind his desk, and Scott and Bobby stand in the corner. Al takes the chair opposite of the professor.

The professor begins, "Hello, Al. I-"

Al cuts him off, "Lemme guess, Baldie. You called Social Services, but they won't take me 'cause I'm dead. You can't take me back to my parents, 'cause they're dead and I sure as hell am not staying here.". Al's spunk throws me off, but Professor Xavier just laughs.

"I haven't been called baldie since Logan joined us." he laughs.

Then he gets serious, "You guessed correctly, Al. You will be staying with us though, for your own safety." Al tries to butt in, but the professor continues. "You don't have any home to return to, and the streets are unkind to young mutants like you."

Al raises her eyebrows as if to point out that she had been on the streets since she was eight. I could tell that she was already planning her escape.

Professor Xavier continues, "Now I would like to introduce you to some of the students your age. Students, please introduce yourselves to Al by saying your name, power, and codename."

"You already know this, but I'm Jean. I'm a telepath ad my codename is Jean Grey.". I float the pencil that Al plays with out of her hands and drop it on the desk. Thankfully, the boys recover from their confusion and Scott steps up.

"Hi. I'm Scott, my codename is Cyclops, and I have laser eyes.". Scott taps his sunglasses and Al stifles a laugh.

"Hi, I'm Bobby, my codename is Iceman, and this is my power.". Bobby demonstrates by turning into his ice form. Everyone's gaze turns to Al, and she sighs.

"I'm Al, never call me Alexandria, and I'm an empath." she sighs at Professor Xavier and continues, "Which means I can give you all panic attacks right now.". Dang, Al knew how to make a room tense.

And with that, she left, pushing back the chair loudly, and abruptly walking out. After a few seconds of silence, Bobby and Scott excuse themselves, mumbling something about homework and training.

The professor furrows his brows and assumes a thinking pose. Through a telepathic message, he tells me:

 _This one will be hard to figure out._

 ****

 _Al's POV_

I race back to my room, barely remembering the way. I should never have come here!

 _The second you start to like them, they'll leave you,_ a voice whispers in my head. I unzip my ratty backpack. I throw open the closet and shove in some clothes.

 _It's best to leave first,_ the voice purrs. I grab a toothbrush and toothpaste from the bathroom down the hall.

 _They say they'll be your friends, but they'll leave too._ I run down the stairs and burst through the doors. The wrong doors. An elevator? When I open them again, I'm in some sort of corridor. I look around, curiosity taking over.

I try another set of doors, metal ones with an **X** on them. They open, and I see… Scott? He's fighting some metal tentacles, protruding from the walls of a large dome-shaped metal room. It looks so futuristic that I half expect cybermen to come down the corridor. What? I have my ways of watching tv, even if I don't own one. Scott turns to face me, and one clocks him, hard. He goes down, unconscious. The tentacles don't look like they are stopping. A mechanical voice beeps.

 _-DANGER ROOM MALFUNCTION-DANGER ROOM MALFUNCTION-_

 _You should leave. Leave while you still can! ,_ my fear screeches. I ignore it. I drag Scott out of the room. A tentacle wraps around my ankles. I'm almost out. My arms still dragging Scott, we fall out of the room, and my head crashes into the cold floor. Everything is too loud, the warning alarm, the little voice in my head, the ringing in my ears. Too loud.

 _I'm a kid again, standing next to my older brother Jamie. I see my mom as she walks away from my old house. She holds a large suitcase._

 _I beg her, "Mama, mama, please don't go!". She keeps walking and turns to look back at me one last time. Tears cloud my vision of the mossy stone path, of the house, always in disrepair, of the dry and dead lawn. I try to grasp Jamie's hand. The scene shifts._

 _Now Jamie is in front of me, and we're older. A tear trickles down his cheek._

" _I'm sorry, Al, but I can't bring you with me.", he says. No, no, no he doesn't understand he can't leave me with dad!_

 _The house bursts into flames. Jamie turns to dust, falling through my fingertips. My father's laughter fills my brain. I run and run and run and the fire goes away and then it's all dark._

 _Voices fill the silence. They tell me every bad thing about myself, and they just won't stop. I curl up into a ball in the pitch-black darkness and cry and cry and cry._

 _Then I wake up._

"Um, hello?" a voice says. I find myself face to face with a great big blue man. He has a scholarly tilt to his voice.

"I was in my lab when I heard the alarms go off. I ran over here, but it appeared that you and Scott already escaped. By the way, who are you?"

"Al." I sputter. The mutant crouches on a stool next to the bed where I sit. He has blue fur and a hulking body that seems more animal than human. The beastly effect is disfigured by the glasses, black pants, and lab coat he is wearing.

"I checked and you both aren't hurt, so I took you both to the med bay. I was waiting for you both to come to. You both seemed fine, but then you started screaming, and I shook you awake.", he continues without acknowledging my confusion.

"Yeah um okay, I gotta go." I grab my bag and back out of the socially awkward man's med bay. Thankfully, I figure out how to get the elevator to work.

"Very interesting. Very interesting indeed.", Doctor McCoy muses. Scott shoots up with a gasp. "Oh my stars and garters!", the doctor exclaims, running to his side.


	2. Rogue and Kurt (The City, Part 1)

**AN: I hope you guys like it! I apologize for my bad writing. Any suggestions for characters, storylines, etc?**

 **Chapter 2: Rogue and Kurt (The City, Part 1)**

 _Rogue's POV_

Two days later…

I laugh as Kurt wolfs down a sandwich. His speedy metabolism in action is hilarious. Well, I guess the furry blue teleporter has to get his energy from _somewhere_. Kitty, Kurt, and I sit at the dinner table in the kitchen eating lunch. Kitty and I see the new kid, Al, enter the kitchen, but it doesn't look like she sees us.

Kitty says, "Hey, let's go talk to her, see if she's cool.". Today she has on shorts and a black t-shirt with a ponytail, her usual weekend getup.

"Sure." I reply through a mouthful of peanut butter 'n jelly sandwich. Once I set my sandwich down, I continue "Isn't she the one that figured out where we live?" in my slightly southern drawl.

"Yeah. I heard that she's been on the run since she was eight. Seven. Years.". Some of the kids at Xavier's had been on the run for part of their life, but never _that_ long.

"Anyways, let's go." I return. Kurt looks unsure because some people are frightened by his demonic appearance, but he gets up anyways. He presses a button on his watch, and his image flickers, giving him a human appearance. Replacing his blue-ish wavy hair is a wavy blond hairstyle, and his blue fur becomes light tan skin.

"You know, you shouldn't have to use that inside the X-Mansion, Kurt.", Kitty whines.

"Ja. I just don't want to scare her.", Kurt replies in his German accent. He doesn't turn off the watch.

I wipe the jelly off of my gloves on my shorts and stand up. We walk over to Al.

"Hi. You're Al, right?" Kitty leads.

"Yeah." Al looks slightly surprised and slightly defensive. I guess no one really talks to her.

"Well, we thought that we would give you a tour. I'm Kitty, this is Kurt, and this is Rogue." Kitty says.

"Okay." Al pauses for a second. "Is Kitty your real name?"

Kitty laughs, "Nah, so spill, what are your powers?"

"I'm an empath, which means I can control emotions."

"Cool! Okay, check this out." Kitty proceeds to phase her hand through the cupboard and pulls out some cookies.

"I know Jean tries to hide them, but she can't keep me out for long." Kitty grins evilly as she passes them out.

"Rogue can steal the powers of whoever she touches, that's why she dresses all emo, with her skin covered up." Ignoring my indignant "Hey!", Kitty continues, "And Kurt can 'port and do crazy acrobatics since he lived in a circus.". A 'do it' chant rises up between Kitty and me.

Kurt finally sighs and says, " _Ich habe keine Wahl, oder?*_ A double layout or a triple pike?"

"Both!" I challenge. I watch Al's eyes widen in amazement as Kurt completes a series of complex flips and twists.

Eventually, we leave the kitchen and introduce Al to the other students. First, we see Peter and Illyana (Colossus and Magyk) in the gym. They are too focused to notice us walk by. Next, we catch Jubilee setting up a prank for Scott. We promise not to tell because we all know that if we don't, we'll find frogs in our beds and our alarm clocks set for three in the morning for the next few weeks. After that is Logan (working on his motorcycle), then we spot Remy watching TV, Last is Ororo, who we find watering her plants.

Everything seems to be going well until Kitty trips over a snag in the carpet, and, using her powers to prevent from breaking anything, falls right through Kurt and the floor. Kurt's watch crackles with electricity, and we both freeze in terror. It finally gives out, and the watch breaks into pieces in his hand. The hologram goes out.

Kurt and Al slowly look up at each other. With a Bamf! and a puff of sulfurous smoke, Kurt is gone.

"Ah should go after him, shouldn't I?" I say, already making a list of places he might have gone.

"Yeah." Al agrees, her eyes as wide as saucers.

 _Kurt's POV_

At twelve o'clock, one night after the incident, I get an unexpected visitor. There is a quick knock and a whisper.

"Quick, Kurt, get on something other than your pajamas and get out here," Al whispers.

Al is a very confusing girl. She saw who I am, and now she shows up at my room in the middle of the night? I slip on some clothes and step out into the hallway.

Al stands by my door with a backpack slung over her shoulders. She takes my hand, my three-fingered hand, and starts walking, leading me down the hall. There is no use using the watch now.

"Why are you not freaking out?" I bluntly ask.

"I've seen weirder," she whispers back.

"Where are we going?"

"Rogue's room. And be quiet." she hisses. With some help from my night vision, we find our way to Rogue's room. After a few knocks on the door, she wakes up too.

"What are y'all doing here?" Rogue asks, sleepily skeptical.

"I'll tell you guys later. First, get something other than your pajamas on and show me the way to Kitty's room."

"Okay."

We walk all the way to Kitty's room, and this time we have to go in and shake her awake.

"Shush. Al woke us up for some crazy plan, so get on some clothes other than your pajamas." Rogue tells Kitty. We go back to the hallway. Once she finishes changing, Kitty joins us.

"Here's the plan: we sneak out, take Scott's car, and drive to the city. I have a score to settle with an old friend."

"That sounds crazy. I'm in." Kitty says.

"Okay. I'm up for some midnight hijinx." Rogue yawns, still half asleep.

"Ja, I'm in," I say. To get to the roundabout driveway, I grab Al and teleport, and Kitty and Rogue phase down a wall. We all walk up to the car, and Al pulls Scott's keys out of her pocket.

"You're as much a thief as Remy!" Kitty laughs. We all get in the car.

"Fair warning guys: I don't have a license," Al says as we drive away from Xavier's School for Gifted Children.

The car ride, in short, is terrifying. Al floored it down the (thankfully) empty highway. I am suddenly regretting calling shotgun. My teeth are so clenched that I half-expect them to break under the pressure! By the time we reach the city, Al slows down a bit. She finally slows to a stop by a fancy apartment building.

"Behold, the home of Graham Fillmore, active mutant-hater and public speaker," Al tells us. I remember seeing the man speaking at an anti-mutant rally on TV a few weeks ago.

We get out of the car, and Al leads us into an alley. I teleport onto the fire escape and roll down the ladder. After a few flights of stairs, Al prepares to enter through a window.

"Isn't this breaking and entering?" Rogue asks.

"Hmm. We are going to enter, and we might break some stuff, so yes." Al responds. She sets down her backpack and unzips it, revealing some cans of spray paint.

"You ready?" Al asks us.

"Um, I don't think this is a good idea." Kitty protests.

"Too late!" Al jimmies open the window, grabs a can of spray paint, and swings through the open window.

Kitty is right. This is a terrible idea. I follow Al anyways, wiggling through the window. Kitty and Rogue follow.

"Okay guys, If Fillmore gets home early and catches us, we'll have like fifteen minutes before the police show up, so let's be quick about this. Spray paint _everything_." Al says with an evil grin. She shakes her can, flicks on the lights, and walks through the living room, squiggling lime-green spray paint after her. Then Al goes into the kitchen and pours the whole jug of leftover coffee into her thermos. That goes into the bag too. She goes through another door and leaves Kitty, Rogue, and I stunned in the quiet room.

"Go on, start spraying." Al peeps her head back in and says. Kitty picks up a can and sprays it at the ground, laughing at the silence. She accidentally sprays a little on me and Rogue.

"Oh, now you're in for it!". Rogue and I look at each other, forming an unsaid alliance. We both grab cans and chase after her, our uneasiness quelled by a common enemy.

A few minutes later, Al comes out of the other room.

"Let's go, kids." she laughs. In swirling handwriting, she paints

 **Al was here**

 **(I breathed on** _ **everything**_ **)**

"C'mon, let's go to Denny's. I'm hungry." Al says once we get down the fire escape. We pile into the car and arrive at the fast food place in no time. We settle down to eat, and Al tells us that she is going outside. Once I finish my burger, I follow her. Al sits on top of the neon sign, eating her burger, sipping her coffee, and swinging her legs.

"What are you doing there?" I ask.

"Eating. Want some?". Al offers me a sip of her coffee. In a flash and _bamf_ , I 'port next to her and sip her drink. I don't know how to phrase my next question, so I just put it bluntly.

"Why are you on the run? Shouldn't you be with your family?"

Al's gaze narrows. "I don't have a family anymore. My mother left when I was little, not bothering to take me with her. She died of cancer a while back." I try to say something, but Al plows on. "After that, my brother Jamie left for college. He's okay now. Got one of his professors to adopt him. I can't forgive him though. He left me with our father. After that, I left too. Took a hint that they didn't want me. Two years later, dear old dad went and killed himself drunk driving. I _don't_ have a family anymore." Al glares wistfully at the stars. Then, finally, she stares right into my eyes.

"Kurt, I have something to tell you. I'm not going back to Xavier's. You guys can drive the car back. Or you can call Scott and ask him to pick you up." Her voice is raw now, and she looks at her shoes. "I-I really don't care what you chose, but either way, I'm not coming."

I am at a loss for words, but it looks like I don't have the chance to say anything. Kitty and Rogue come running out of the Denny's, screaming at us and pointing down the parking lot. I look and see a shadowy figure approaching. Sabertooth. I grab Al and teleport us next to Kitty and Rogue.

Sabertooth's gravelly laughter fills the silence. "You think you can take me?" he says.

Al puts her hands out, straining. The cut on her cheek reopens, and blood covers her cheek. Sabertooth falters and clutches his head, but he gets close enough to us and swiftly backhands Al. She goes flying, and hits Scott's car and slides down, leaving a dent. Al doesn't get up. _Scheisse_.**

Kitty, Rogue, and I attack. Rogue isn't much help because Sabertooth had the common sense to cover up before attacking us. I teleport onto his back and rope my arms around his neck. A few seconds and he'll be out. He throws Rogue through the window, right into Denny's. His face is getting purple. Just a little longer. He tosses Kitty at a row of cars. She phases through the first car but is taken by surprise by the second car. Kitty launches herself back at Sabertooth, and he throws her down again. This time she doesn't leap up. I'm the only one left. Sabertooth is about to lose consciousness, but he flips me over and throws me on the asphalt. I don't have any juice left to teleport. Sabertooth delivers a vicious right hook. I try to hold on, but everything is slipping away. I lose consciousness, and tumble down, down, down.

* _Ich habe keine Wahl, oder?_ \- I don't have a choice, do I?

 _**Scheisse._ \- Shit.


	3. Scott, Kitty, & Bobby (The City, Part 2)

**Chapter 3: Scott, Kitty, and Bobby (The City, Part 2)**

 _Scott's POV_

In the morning, the first thing I notice is that my car is gone. My beautiful red baby! The car I polished and waxed so well!

I groggily walk down to the professor's office for answers, but instead find Jean, Logan, and the professor all looking serious, staring at a map. That wakes me up.

"Yes, Scott?" the professor asks without looking up. "Maybe they snuck out to the movies again?" he mutters to Logan and Jean.

"Nah, they would be back by now." Logan responds. He seems a little more stressed than usual.

I cut to the chase, a little tired of being ignored, saying, "Professor, where's my car?".

"Gone. Along with Kitty, Rogue, Kurt, and Al.". So that's why Logan seems worried. He _has_ been especially attached to Rogue after the Liberty Island incident.

"We decided to wait for you to start searching for them.", Jean says, gentle as ever.

"What are we waiting for?"

When we go outside, we see that the teens didn't bother covering their tracks when they snuck out (assuming they did sneak out). Skid marks distract from the familiar black asphalt of the roundabout. I shudder, imagining the fate of my poor car's tires. None of the teens can drive yet, and I thought that they wouldn't be stupid enough to try. I think Al had something to do with this. I can't really hold a grudge against her though, because she saved my ass when the danger room malfunctioned (even if she did get me knocked out first). We pile into a Jeep from the garage, and follow the tire track road.

Logan drives, and Jean and I sit in the back. She 'conveniently' falls over and into my lap when Logan makes a sharp turn. Jean giggles, and I save this moment into my brain as a happy memory, no matter how grave the situation may be.

Logan jerks us back to reality by gruffly saying, "Be quiet back there, lovebirds.". We separate ourselves, not eager to face Logan's wrath.

The tire tracks stop right next to a tall building, then begin again a while further. We slow down there, and Logan sniffs the air.

"They got out here.". We exit the car, and walk up to the building.

"Looks like they snuck up the fire escape and broke in through a window.". Logan spits out. Kitty, Rogue, and Kurt never got into this kind of trouble before Al came. We walk into the lobby of the fancy apartment building, seeing a bedraggled man on the phone, pacing. I recognize him by his flat nose and pudgy face as Graham Fillmore, an anti-mutant public speaker who took part in the hate rallies a couple weeks ago.

"Whaddya mean my insurance plan doesn't cover vandalism?! I know they didn't steal anything, but my house is ruined! Give me your manager's name. You will hear about this!". Agitated is an understatement for this man's mood. Jean approaches him coolly.

"Hello, I'm Jean and these are my associates, Scott and Logan. We're with the police.". Jean flips open her wallet like it's a police badge, and it looks like she uses her powers to convince him that it is.

"We'd like to see the scene of the crime, please."

Fillmore sighs in relief. "Finally! Someone who knows what they're doing!". He leads us up to his apartment and we go in.

"See! It's ruined! I came home at one o'clock to find this!". The apartment is covered with streaks of multi-colored spray paint. On the wall is a spray painted message:

 **Al was here**

 **(I breathed on everything)**

Oh no. I can deal with teenage pranks, but this is breaking the law. I guess Al knew that.

 _After that, the kids left._ Logan tells us through Jean's psychic link.

"We've seen enough." Jean says to Fillmore, and we leave.

"But wait! Aren't you guys supposed to look for clues?!" he screeches indignantly. Ignoring him, we leave.

We pile into the Jeep and follow the skid marks to a Denny's. The entrance of the parking lot is roped off my police caution tape. We get out and duck under the tape. The whole scene screams superfight. A window is shattered, a little blood is on the shards of glass. I almost miss some drops of blood on the ground of the parking lot, but Jean points them out to me. We take a look at the other cars in the lot. Oh god. There's my car. I was worried about the tires, but there is a dent in it! Nooo!

Logan sniffs the air, and growls, "Sabertooth was here.".

 _Kitty's POV_

Ow. I wake up in a dark van, my back sore from bumping against the metal floor. It looks like we are being driven somewhere.

"You're awake. Thank god.", a voice says. I turn to see Rogue, slumped against the wall. She must have bruised her rib when she was thrown through the window at the Denny's.

"Kurt and Al are still out. I think we're being driven somewhere. They took our blood too.". Rogue's voice is shaky, and she points at a small band-aid on my shoulder. I grab everyone and try to step through the wall, but I simply bump into it. What?

Rogue answers my unsaid question. Tapping a metal collar on her neck, she says, "It won't work. I tried already. I think the collars inhibit our powers.". A few minutes later, Kurt wakes up, and after him, Al. We fill them in, and then all we can do is wait. Exhaustion takes over, and we all fall asleep.

Al shakes me awake. We aren't in the van anymore. We are in a cell somewhere, but thankfully all four of us are still together. Kurt and Rogue sit in the corner, Rogue clutching her stomach and Kurt hovering over her.

"I know where we are." she says, "but that doesn't make our situation better. This is the Electric Ring, a cage fighting den. They kidnap mutants and force them to fight. The more desperate ones come here of their own free will". I shudder. "The big kahuna is Mister Q. I'm going to try to talk to him.". Al gets up, and walks over to the bars. She bangs on them.

"Hey! Q!" she shouts. A tall man in a white tuxedo and sunglasses strides into the room, and stalks up to the bars.

"Why, Al, to what do I owe the pleasure? Has the One Hit Wonder returned? You always did sell the most tickets." Mister Q says in a silkily evil voice. They know each other?

"Let my friends go.".

Mister Q smirks. "You know I never do anything for free, Davies.". Al casts a glance back at us.

"If I win against your best fighter, you have to let them go." she evenly corrects. Mister Q shrugs, but his expression looks anything but carefree.

"I must admit, I don't like your odds, Davies. Your dayview will be tomorrow. Good luck!" he says with a predatory grin.

"Vhat are you doing, Al?" Kurt asks.

"Getting you out of here."

One day later, Al is taken out of the cell. A guard pushes a button and her collar falls off. There is a vent in the upper corner of the room, and Kurt pulls himself up, peering through it and telling us what happens.

"Al is getting pushed into the cage. Her opponent is some huge buff _armleuchter*_." Kurt describes and I can hear the drunken crowds cheering and placing bets.

I hear Mister Q's voice announce, "Ladies and Gentlemen, for today's match up we have the champion, Louie Hall, with the power of advanced speed, strength, and stamina!" The crowd cheers. "Versus, the One Hit Wonder, Al!". The crowd cheers again. I want to ask what Al has to do with this place, but the match starts.

"He's charging at her. Al just narrowly ducked. Ouch! He hit the electric cage!" I wish I could see too, but the window is to small and Kurt's stronger than I am, so he can keep himself up for longer. Kurt is silent.

"Kurt, what's happening?!" I say.

"She-she got hit. He's too fast for her. She's getting hit over and over. He's grabbing her by the arm. Ha! She spit on that _arschgeige**_! He's lifting her of the ground by her collar, and, oh no. He's going to push her against the electrified cage.". Kurt stops, and then I hear the worst sound of all.

Al's piercing scream fills my ears. It isn't high pitched, but it devolves like her vocal chords are going to break. I drop to my knees, but Kurt has it worse. He can't let go of the bars. He can't stop watching.

Then something happens. The man's blood curdling scream joins her, and everyone goes silent. The man _thumps_ to the ground. Al must have used her powers.

"And Al, the One Hit Wonder wins!". Al limps, half carried by a security guard, back into the cell. Mister Q shortly joins us.

"Well, I am a man of my word. You may go." We walk out of the door, Al and Rogue limping together, but then they are stopped. The guards seperate them, and Al is getting pushed back into the cell.

"What about Al?". I angrily ask.

"Why, Al said that I had to let _you_ go. Not including herself.". Mister Q presses a button and the collars pop off.

"No! I-" Kurt begins to yell, but Al smiles weakly and Kurt goes quiet. Al knew this would happen.

"Go." she wheezes, "I'll be fine.".

"Al!" I start to yell, and the guards advance on us. Kurt wraps his arms around us and with a _Bamf!_ we are gone.

 _Bobby's POV_

I am walking to class during passing period, mulling things over in my head. Things have been more than a little hectic in the past few days. First, some kid (even if she _is_ my age) figured out we're the X-Men. Everyone was shook. Then it turned out that she had been on the run for years. That news ripped through the school like wildfire. Things got even weirder after that though. I smirk. A danger room malfunction on top of that too?

I am a little worried when Kitty doesn't show up to class though. I did hear some rumors about Kitty, Kurt, Rogue, and Al going missing two days ago. They might just be on a mission or something, and Al never came out of her room except to get food, so she might still be in there. I wish the professor would tell me what is going on. I am an X-Man after all. Xavier being secretive and keeping things under wraps really gets under my skin, because when he does, all I am left with are stupid rumors.

Doctor McCoy drones on about something science related, but I can't stop staring at Kitty's empty seat. I tell myself to calm down about my stupid worries and pay attention, but the small class makes her disappearance even more pronounced. I barely even notice it when the pencil I am fiddling with turns to ice. Dammit. Fifth one this month.

"Bobby, can you remind the class what Newton's second law is?" Hank asks. My mouth goes dry.

"I… uh…". Why me? I should have stopped thinking about Kitty, Kurt, Rogue and Al and payed attention!

"Bobby, I really do wish you would pay more att-". He is cut short by Kitty, Rogue, and Kurt phasing through the roof of the classroom. Shit. Speak of the devil, much? If there's one thing everyone knows about me, it's that when I get stressed, I get sarcastic.

The three students are sprawled on the floor. Kurt is unconscious after teleporting two people such a (presumably) long distance. His limber arms are still wrapped around Kitty and Rogue. Rogue is out too, but she groans a little and clutches her stomach. Kitty is the only one fully conscious, clutching Kurt, her eyes wide.

Hank takes charge immediately, shouting commands to the class, "Everyone! Out!" he turns to Jubilee, who is gaping. "Jubilee, get Jean and take Rogue to the med bay!". Jubilee pulls Rogue up and half helps, half carries her out of the classroom. Everyone else is gone, but I don't move an inch.

"Bobby, don't just stand there. If you aren't going to leave, help me.". Hank props Kurt up against a bookshelf. Kitty shakily wipes her sweaty hands off on her pants. Hank crouches next to her.

"Kitty, does anything hurt?", Hank asks.

"My head, a little.". Kitty isn't very shaky anymore, and she seems better. Hank nods to me and I ball up some binder paper and freeze it- but not too much. It's a little worrying how many ice packs I've had to make for the X-Men.

"Please, start from the beginning."

"Okay. On Friday, or I guess it was Saturday, at like 12:00 ish, Al, Kurt, and Rogue showed up at my dorm, inviting me to go to the city. We took Scott's car and Al drove. After we got there we played a prank on Graham Fillmore." Hank nods.

"Yes, we saw." Hank replies. Kitty gulps and nods, adjusting herself to sit straighter.

"Then you know that we went to Denny's after that. We ate, and Kurt and Al went outside and talked. Then we saw him. Sabertooth. He hit Al into Scott's car, and Rogue through the window. Then I got knocked out too.". She sighs, tired from her ordeal.

"We woke up in a van, and then when we woke up again it was in one of those underground mutant cage-fighting rings. Al fought and won but, but…" She trails off. Kitty looks ready to cry, a look I hadn't seen on her. "But I can't get her screams out of my head." She sniffles, continuing, "The boss, Mister Q, he let us go. Kurt teleported us home, but he missed and I phased us through the floors.". Kitty wipes her eyes.

Keeping his voice steady and slow, Hank asks, "Kitty, where is Al?"

"She's still there."

 _*Armleuchter_ \- Dimwit

 _**Arschgeige_ \- Arsehole


End file.
